Do prayers and fasts for peace matter?

The Religion News Service (RNS) covered an international call for prayer and fasting for peace in the Middle East.

(RNS) While the violence escalates in Israel and Gaza, a movement is taking hold that unites Jews, Muslims and others in a campaign for peace.  

On Tuesday (July 15), a daylong fast is planned as part of a public effort to show unity in the fight against war and violence in the region.  

Using the Twitter hashtag #HungryforPeace, the cause started in Israel and gained strength in England, promoted by Yachad, a U.K.-based pro-Israel, pro-peace group. Last weekend, it was announced in temples, mosques and churches in the U.S.

It is always uplifting when I see instances where the children of God come together in mindfulness of the suffering of others. It is something that should be encouraged.

Efforts like #HungryforPeace are often criticized, especially by those antagonistic to religion, as empty gestures. Many of the comments attached to the RNS story express this sentiment. Their reasoning is that a day of prayers and fasting is a complete waste of time. It is not going to stop the violence.

I beg to differ. If you are truly mindful of the suffering on both sides of the conflict, it plants the seed of empathy and understanding. The interfaith component is also essential to create dialog and build trust. The rockets may continue to explode in Gaza and Israel, which we cannot control, but we can set a better example by coming together in hearts and minds. We can also remind the world that bloodshed does not serve God. That requires loving others. And we need to remind ourselves that we are all equal in the eyes of God.

A little fasting and prayer is not the answer to all injustices, but it is at least a start in the right direction.


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Today I Give Thanks (TIGT) for patches of blue among the clouds.

As the bloodbath in the Middle East continues

...Some children of God are finding ways to build interfaith trust. The Religion News Service has an excellent example.

Muslim-Jewish iftars are popping up across the nation, bringing together dozens and sometimes hundreds of people for a celebratory Ramadan meal and a chance to forge interfaith friendships. 

This Ramadan, as Jews and Muslims exchange rocket fire in Israel and Gaza, those attending these meals say they are all the more significant, as a way of demonstrating that Jews and Muslims have much in common, and can enjoy each others’ food and company.

They are mindful of the violence and offer prayers for peace and resolution. This is how the children of God should relate to one another.

“Yes, we are in another awful flare-up of violence and both of our communities are suffering. That will be acknowledged at the iftar.” 

- - Rabbi Sarah Bassin

“We will try to figure out how we can deal with the tragedy overseas and move forward. That’s the whole point. There will probably be a lot of prayer.” 

- - Husna Ghani, Council of Muslim Organizations of Greater Chicago 

I cannot help but pray for more examples like this one. 

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Today I Give Thanks (TIGT) for real watermelon candy . . . 

Dear Middle East Leaders

Blessed are the peacemakers . . .
. . . for they shall be called the children of God.


To the leaders of Israel and Palestine:

Cut the crap.

Thanks!

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Just so everyone is on the same page, a few weeks back some wretched human beings kidnapped and murdered three Israeli Jewish teens. A Palestinian teen was then set on fire in retaliation. Before long, both sides are shooting rockets at one another. The spiral of violence is quick. Behold the power of a few truly wicked people in inciting bloodshed.

If you are truly a person of faith, you might want to pay close attention.  Here are the families of the teens killed at the start of this bloodletting in the Middle East.

The families of murdered Israeli teen Naftali Fraenkel and murdered Palestinian teen Mohammed Abu Khdeir are drawing comfort from an unexpected source: each other.

Parents struggling with grief because of senseless acts of violence reach out in strength and grace to one another. This is what it means to remember that we are all the children of God.

Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat took to Facebook on Sunday to write about an “emotional and special telephone conversation between two families that have lost their sons.” He said that during his visit to the Fraenkel family home, he had a chance to speak to Hussein Abu Khdeir, Mohammed’s father, and express pain at the “barbaric” murder of his son.
Barkat then suggested that Abu Khdeir speak to Yishai Fraenkel, the uncle of Naftali Fraenkel who recently told the press that “the life of an Arab is equally precious to that of a Jew. Blood is blood, and murder is murder, whether that murder is Jewish or Arab.” The two men took Barkat’s advice and comforted one another by telephone. 

In a separate visit organized by Rabbi Rafi Ostroff, chair of the religious council of Gush Etzion, Palestinians from the Hebron area showed up at the door of the Fraenkel family, looking to comfort the bereaved. 

Asked why they had come, one Palestinian said, “Things will only get better when we learn to cope with each other’s pain and stop getting angry at each other. Our task is to give strength to the family and also to take a step toward my nation’s liberation. We believe that the way to our liberation is through the hearts of Jews.”

When I see empathy like this, I believe God smiles proudly. When I see bloodthirsty political leaders, I believe God is nowhere to be found. They are not killing for God. No, they are killing to satisfy their political followers and benefactors. Smells like sulfur and evil to me.


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Today I Give Thanks (TIGT) for crosses in unexpected places.

Setting an example

Pope Francis continues to set an example all Christians can be proud of.

(CNN) – Pope Francis marked his 77th birthday on Tuesday by welcoming three homeless men to a Mass and a meal at the Vatican, according to Catholic officials.

The Pope wanted a "family" environment, with just a few top aides, the staff of Casa Santa Marta – the Vatican guesthouse – and the homeless men, one of whom brought his dog, the Vatican said.

The worldwide reaction to this man over the past nine months should be eye-opening for all of us who follow Christ. The most effective evangelism is loving others, especially those society has neglected, abused, or forgotten. That is the example set by Jesus as he walked Judea countryside and the back alleys of the larger towns. And if we all followed that example, the world would be a better place.

Instead we get caught up in the trappings of this world, lusting for power, money, and things. Success is defined by what we have rather than what we give of ourselves. We work hard to exclude others. We turn our heads from the injustices that befall others and rationalize how they "deserve" to suffer. And all of it runs counters to the teachings of Christ.

Today I will give thanks for a man whose most remarkable acts have been to reach out to people with  compassion. He has spoken out against the economic injustices that left too many without opportunities and hope while more and more of the wealth of God's creation is concentrated in the hands of the privileged few. I am hearted by the response of many whose profess to dislike religion but are moved by the words and deeds of this man.

Valor

Today is the day we traditionally celebrate the sacrifices of veterans. Many in my family have served in uniform. There are many stories I could tell. However, I want to focus on two lives intertwined with mine.

My maternal grandfather was a German. During the first of what we like to call world wars, he was a decorated U-boat commander. His exploits in his "little tin can" won medals galore during the war and he rose through the ranks after the war.

I knew little of this part of his life. He never talked about the war or what he did to earn all those decorations which included the Navy Cross. I did manage to badger him into opening the trunk that he kept locked. It held his dress uniform and a few other mementos. I was enthralled. Watching me joyfully (and I thought reverently) touch this part of his past, he shooed me away and closed the lid.

"War is nothing to celebrate."

Whatever his exploits on the high seas, those words that stuck with me.

His greatest act of valor happened after the war. He continued to serve as a navy officer and rose through the ranks. Coming from well-connected Prussian family, his future certainly looked bright.

During the 1930's, something changed in his outlook. He hailed from the town of Plauen, which had the dubious distinction of being the first place outside of Bavaria that the Nazis became active. He called them thugs, in no small part because they targeted many people he had known all his life to be people of integrity, compassion, wit, and charm. It changed him. At the same time, he could clearly see his beloved country headed back to war under leadership that he did not trust or respect.

In 1937, my grandfather chose to abruptly leave Germany and emigrate to the United States. It was certainly a courageous act, but not exactly an easy road. His English was broken and heavily accented. The only thing on his resume was military service to a former wartime enemy of the United States. The deck was stacked against him.

By whatever you call chance, luck, or serendipity, his story came to the attention of a woman that owned a chain of fur shops. She decided to take a chance on my grandfather, training him to be a master furrier and salesman. Before long, he was using his old world charm on the wealthy in Virginia. Ironically, this woman just happened to be Jewish and a devoutly religious one at that.

I knew her growing up as a family friend. Every year during the Christmas holidays, she would come by my grandparent's house and bring holiday gifts for all. (One year she gave me a ridiculously cool Tonka fire engine that even sprayed water.) When her health began to fail, we would visit her. My grandfather always brought sweets and a bottle of her favorite libation. He remained fiercely loyal to her and continued to work for her company until his eyesight failed.

My grandfather's decision to leave Germany strained his relationship with his relatives that were stuck behind the Iron Curtain in what became East Germany. During the height of the Cold War, he could manage a visa every decade or so to visit. His sister was allowed a few pilgrimages to the United States.  But for the most part, red tape and suspicion kept he and his family of birth apart. He died before the Berlin Wall fell in 1989.

I do not think of my grandfather a hero for what he did as a commander of a submarine. What took real courage was his decision to leave the country he loved because of what he knew in his heart of hearts to be corrupt and evil leadership. He gave up privilege and prestige in Germany to come to a country that viewed him with considerable suspicion as the world lurched towards a second war to end all wars.

He deliberately patronized Jewish merchants, in no small part as a sign of his respect for his benefactor and lifelong friend. In fact, every Sunday afternoon he went to a local Jewish delicatessen and load up on meats, cheeses, bread, and all sorts of strange goodies. A German Lutheran hanging out in a Jewish deli in the capital of the old South. I did not appreciate at the time how truly strange all of this was.

We often hear about Jews saved by the courageous actions of people under Nazi rule. My grandfather was German military officer that refused to fight for a monster and was saved by the compassion of a Jewish woman in America. It is just one of those strange stories that remind me of why Jesus put such a premium on loving others as we would wish to be loved.

On this Veteran's Day, I raise a glass to toast to a German submariner and his American benefactor. And never forget to celebrate the service and many sacrifices of men and women in uniform. It is the wicked in power that put them in harm's way.

A timely reminder

As our elected officials act worse than spoiled brats and shut down the federal government, here is something uplifting. In Oklahoma, there is a 10 year old boy that wants to bring some joy to his older brother suffering from Cerebral Palsy.

His big brother, by a year, has been stricken with Cerebral Palsy. Titus can't walk, hear or eat food, but Tobias is determined his brother will get outside, have fun and feel the wind against his cheeks like the other kids do. And that's where the letter to us comes in.

Read his letter to a local television station asking for help in getting a jogging stroller so he can push his brother around outside, even run a few races. His mother works as a teacher, but cannot afford one of those fancy jogging strollers large enough to accommodate his brother.

"My pastor said we have to be God's hands and feet but I'm going to be his legs too."

By the way, Tobias wants to be a pastor when grows up.

Little Tobias, 10, wants to be a pastor himself when he grows up. He says he wants to be an Army pastor, so he can minister to men dying on the front lines. 

What was it Jesus said about children and the kingdom of God?

13 People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them,“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” 16 And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.

 -- Mark 10:13-16

Tobias makes that passage come to life. His faith touches all who come in contact with him.

A banner day for evil

Just another day in the life of evil.

In Pakistan, there was a mass murder at a church.

A suicide bomb attack on a historic church in northwestern Pakistan killed at least 52 people and wounded over 100 Sunday, officials said, in one of the worst assaults on the country’s Christian minority in years. 

The bombing underlines the threat posed by Islamic extremists as the government seeks a peace deal with domestic Taleban militants. 

It occurred as worshippers were coming out of the church in Peshawar city following services to get a free meal of rice offered on the front lawn, said a top government administrator, Sahibzada Anees.

In Iraq, there was a mass murder at a funeral.

Almost 100 people have died after two suicide bombers targeted a funeral in the Shi'ite neighbourhood of Sadr City in Baghdad. 

One bomber detonated his explosives-laden car as he drove up near a tent where mourners had gathered and another on foot blew himself up nearby. 

A third explosion followed as police, ambulances and firefighter were gathering at the scene.

In Kenya, there was a mass murder at a shopping center.

At least 59 people were killed and 175 injured in Saturday's attack on a Nairobi shopping centre, a Kenyan government minister has said. 

Joe Lenku said 1,000 people had managed to escape from the Westgate centre after the assault by suspected al-Shabab militants. 

He added that between 10 to 15 attackers were still in the building.

Only the truly sick in mind would call these killings just. The evil is clear.

We often hear that religion is somehow the cause of these murders. Yet these events have nothing to do with God. God did not sanction these acts. These acts of inglorious carnage are about power. These are primitive acts where one group of human animals is trying to intimidate another group. For example, a Christian minority has been used a scapegoat and targeted for violence in Pakistan. A Muslim minority targeted members of the Muslim majority during a funeral in Iraq. Somali Muslims killed supporters of the Kenya government in a shopping mall. It is about human beings behaving worse than animals. These murderers failed God.

We are talking about human beings that put power above all else. They feel powerful when other people fear them. It is a strong temptation. We have invested in the world's largest military because many Americans want others to fear us. America has used that military might frequently to kill people in other countries. God had nothing to do with it.

Gang bangers shoot up streets to create fear. Religious extremists do it for the same reason. God has nothing to do with any of it.

People kill others to steal their possessions, even parking places. No God in any of this.

The atheists have it all wrong when they blame violence on religion. In fact, Jesus said not to return evil for evil. Violence is merely a tool used by people that lust for what others have. I am shocked all these people that claim to be experts in human reason fail to see violence for what it is. Violence is a failure to love others. Last time I checked,  Jesus demanded his followers to love others, even our enemies.

Scenes of wanton waste and cruelty

This week has seen the strange juxtaposition of the 12th anniversary of the September 11 attacks and our government's call to bomb Syria in response to its use of chemical weapons on its citizens. It was not long after the attacks that we pointed the finger at Afghanistan for harboring bin Laden and his little band of thugs. Because of the Taliban-run government's refusal to turn over the terrorists, we bombed the country to topple the regime. Fast forward 12 years and you find the Taliban still active, the government filled with corrupt politicians, and our military occupation coming to an end. Here is the perfect exclamation point to this absurd nightmare:

Facing a tight deadline and tough terrain, the U.S. military has destroyed more than 170 million pounds worth of vehicles and other military equipment as it rushes to wind down its role in the Afghanistan war by the end of 2014. 

The massive disposal effort, which U.S. military officials call unprecedented, has unfolded largely out of sight amid an ongoing debate inside the Pentagon about what to do with the heaps of equipment that won’t be returning home. Military planners have determined that they will not ship back more than $7 billion worth of equipment — about 20 percent of what the U.S. military has in Afghanistan — because it is no longer needed or would be too costly to ship back home.

Many in this country still feel that Afghanistan was a 'just' war with less than optimal outcomes. That is half right. No one can contest the high cost and poor outcomes of the war. It is the 'just' part that stands out as untrue. In our rush for vengeance, we failed to accomplish anything beyond blowing up things and killing people. I see nothing remotely resembling justice. Just wasted blood, materiel, and money.

Now we are telling the world that military action against the Syrian government is justified. It is just the latest example of what happens when human civilization crumbles into chaos. Both sides are becoming consumed with hatred. In fact, it is a hatred so potent that it will last for generation after generation. Here is a first hand account from a photographer documenting the civil war.

The man was brought in to the square. His eyes were blindfolded. I began shooting pictures, one after the other. It was to be the fourth execution that day I would photograph. I was feeling awful; several times I had been on the verge of throwing up. But I kept it under control because as a journalist I knew I had to document this, as I had the three previous beheadings I had photographed that day, in three other locations outside Aleppo. 

The crowd began cheering. Everyone was happy. I knew that if I tried to intervene I would be taken away, and that the executions would go ahead. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to change what was happening and I might put myself in danger. 

I saw a scene of utter cruelty: a human being treated in a way that no human being should ever be treated. But it seems to me that in two and a half years, the war has degraded people’s humanity. On this day the people at the execution had no control over their feelings, their desires, their anger. It was impossible to stop them. 

I don’t know how old the victim was but he was young. He was forced to his knees. The rebels around him read out his crimes from a sheet of paper. They stood around him. The young man was on his knees on the ground, his hands tied. He seemed frozen. 

Two rebels whispered something into his ear and the young man replied in an innocent and sad manner, but I couldn’t understand what he said because I don’t speak Arabic. 

At the moment of execution the rebels grasped his throat. The young man put up a struggle. Three or four rebels pinned him down. The man tried to protect his throat with his hands, which were still tied together. He tried to resist but they were stronger than he was and they cut his throat. They raised his head into the air. People waved their guns and cheered. Everyone was happy that the execution had gone ahead.

It is impossible to argue with the suggestion that nearly 3 years of "civil" war "has degraded people's humanity," What good will our bombs do in this toxic environment of hatred and grief? The same good they did in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, and Libya. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. And yet, the president is calling for blood, seemingly blind to the less than ideal outcomes in our previous military misadventures. Repeating the same mistakes over and over will somehow turn out better this time. Rubbish!!

Christ calls us to heal the world, not open new wounds. If you want to see why the Lord told his followers to become peacemakers, look no further than the fruits of our military interventions over the past decade or so.

Good news

This is good. The president of National Evangelical Association questioned the wisdom and morality of US-led punitive bombing of Syria.

Evangelicals don’t agree on everything, including what to do about Syria. We grieve the horrific loss of 100,000 lives and the displacement of more than two million refugees in a civil war that is frightening the world. We abhor the use of chemical weapons that have killed civilians, including hundreds of children. But we have the same questions and worries as millions of other Americans and members of Congress on how our country should help. 

On September 3, the National Association of Evangelicals surveyed evangelical leaders to ask “Should Congress authorize direct U.S. military intervention in Syria?” Sixty-two and a half percent said “no.” Thirty-seven and a half percent said “yes.” I was surprised because I expected the answers would be the other way around.

Amen to especially to this:

The Bible teaches us to pray for our leaders. This is a week for extra prayers as our Congress and President decide what to do about Syria. And, let’s add Syrian leaders to our prayer list. Our request is that God will give wisdom to make choices for a lasting peace in the region.

And more good news. The bombing campaign authorization in Congress seems to be in trouble. The current head count in the House is 217 likely no and 42 likely yes votes and the rest undecided.

If you want to punish the Syria regime for gassing its citizens then why not use a trade sanctions rather than firing a few thousand high explosives into the country? Why not lead a diplomatic offensive to isolate the Assad regime? Why not repent to the world of our lies about weapons in Iraq ten years ago and allow the UN to conduct an independent investigation that does not rely on our "intelligence" services?

The Christ that I know would not welcome war or cheer the rush to pull the trigger. Peacemakers are blessed. We are not to avenge the wrongs against us said the Lord. I pretty sure that includes 'no' to assassination by missile of foreign government officials, military personnel, supposed terrorists, and unlucky civilian bystanders.

This is your brain

On poverty:

A study published by the journal Science found that poverty makes it hard to concentrate. The researchers asked participants to think about how they would pay for an unexpected $1500 car repair bill before cognitive performance testing. The personal finance mental arithmetic problem was associated with a large drop in cognitive function among participants from lower income brackets. It seems to disrupt their ability to concentrate on the task at hand. In contrast, financially secure participants were unaffected by having to think about an unexpected expense. A similar pattern was found in farmers in India who were tested before the harvest when they were poor and after the harvest when more financially secure. Their post-harvest cognitive test performance was substantially better than pre-harvest scores. You worry and pray that the harvest will be a good one since the consequences are dire if it is not.

The poor often behave in less capable ways, which can further perpetuate poverty. We hypothesize that poverty directly impedes cognitive function and present two studies that test this hypothesis. First, we experimentally induced thoughts about finances and found that this reduces cognitive performance among poor but not in well-off participants. Second, we examined the cognitive function of farmers over the planting cycle. We found that the same farmer shows diminished cognitive performance before harvest, when poor, as compared with after harvest, when rich. This cannot be explained by differences in time available, nutrition, or work effort. Nor can it be explained with stress: Although farmers do show more stress before harvest, that does not account for diminished cognitive performance. Instead, it appears that poverty itself reduces cognitive capacity. We suggest that this is because poverty-related concerns consume mental resources, leaving less for other tasks. These data provide a previously unexamined perspective and help explain a spectrum of behaviors among the poor. We discuss some implications for poverty policy.

From "Poverty Impedes Cognitive Function"

Poverty creates a preoccupation with economic survival that seems to prevent people from performing as well as they are capable. Indignity on top of indignity.

On materialism:

A multinational survey found that religion messes up the relationship between income and happiness. Happiness increases with wealth in people who are not religiously observant. Those darn religious people were even happier when they were less economically secure. Religion puts on burden on the rich to help the less fortunate. The authors wonder if religion is a hindrance to economic development and individual prosperity. Those pesky anti-wealth norms.

Higher income is related to better psychological adjustment. We propose that religiosity attenuates this relation. First, in comforting the poor, religious teachings de-emphasize the importance of money, which would buffer low-income's psychological harms (religiosity as poverty buffer account). Second, religious teachings convey antiwealth norms, which would reduce income's psychological benefits (religiosity as antiwealth norms account). A study involving 187,957 respondents from 11 religiously diverse cultures showed that individual-level, as well as culture-level, religiosity weakens the relation between personal income and psychological adjustment in accordance with the religiosity as antiwealth norms account. Performance self-esteem mediated this relation. Religiosity's moderating effects were so pervasive that religious individuals in religious cultures reported better psychological adjustment when their income was low than high.

If you believe that wealth signifies your worth to society, you do not want those religious folks pooping on your party. They try to make you feel obligated to do something for the less fortunate. Buzzkill.

Jesus said you cannot worship God and materialism. This study said you cannot love God and riches as much as you should. Fancy that.

Amen

The British parliament says no to joining the bloodshed in Syria:

LONDON — British Prime Minister David Cameron lost a vote endorsing military action against Syria by 13 votes Thursday, a stunning defeat that will almost guarantee that Britain plays no direct role in any U.S. attack on Bashar Assad's government. 

A grim-faced Cameron conceded after the vote that "the British Parliament, reflecting the views of the British people, does not want to see British military action." 

The prime minister said that while he still believed in a "tough response" to the alleged use of chemical weapons by Assad's regime, he would respect the will of Parliament.

I pray our government comes to its senses, but I have doubts.

Responding to the vote, the White House said that a decision on a possible military strike against Syria will be guided by America's best interests, suggesting the U.S. may act alone if other nations won't help.

There is no question that the videos of corpses lined up for burial weigh on our hearts. Yet, adding to the body count with people killed by our bombs will not bring peace to region or justice for the dead.

Isaiah 17:1 has suddenly become popular.

“See, Damascus will no longer be a city
    but will become a heap of ruins.

Perhaps they need to read further. The chapter closes with a warning (Isaiah 17:12-14):

Woe to the many nations that rage . . .

Blessed are the peacemakers . . .

. . . for they shall be called the children of God. Does that sound familiar? Hold that thought as the war drums are pounding again across the world. This time it is Syria. A few years ago it was Libya. Before that, it was Iraq and Afghanistan. Not to mention occasional air strikes in Yemen, Somalia, Pakistan, and God knows where else. We took sides in the Iran-Iraq war, knowing that our friend Saddam was using chemical warfare. Lebanon was a crapshoot in the early 1980s and again 25 years later. And let's not forget arming bin Laden in Afghanistan to fight former Soviet Union. We paid that evil forward.

Now according to some, many of these wars were justified. Just ask former head of ethics for the Southern Baptists. Richard Land promised God's blessings for war in Iraq six months before we conducted our glorious "shock-and-awe" campaign. The miserable failure of that prophesy should have been a wake-up call but there were no consequences for the prophets.

The just war in Afghanistan produced no good results. We installed a corrupt political leadership that will one day partner with the Taliban. The same militants will soon be able to say they won guerilla wars with the two superpowers of the Cold War.

Vietnam and Korea, two Cold War killing grounds, were considered just by many. The fruits of all that spilled blood have not been terribly sweet.

We know two things before we enter Syria. One is that it will be very expensive, even with using our long distance killing machines. From Matthew Yglesias at Slate:

Today that day has arrived in light of the increasing chatter that the United States government should drop a bunch of high-powered explosives in order to kill and maim a bunch of Syrian individuals while destroying some of Syria's physical infrastructure in order to help other Syrian individuals. One's thoughts naturally turn to NATO's 2011 military intervention in Libya, which proponents of killing-and-maiming as a humanitarian strategy like to point to as an effective kill-and-maim episode that debunked the concerns of skeptics.

Yes, it will frightfully expensive in dollars and half-hearted morality. We are tipping the scale in favor of one murderous group over another. Yippee!

Yglesias frames the issue nicely:

Now, before the kill-and-maim-for-the-sake-of-humanity crowd shoots a Tomahawk missile at me, it's worth conceding up front that none of this amounts to a logically airtight case against blowing up some Syrian infrastructure and killing various Syrian bad guys. It is very possible for a given undertaken to be worth doing without being the optimal policy. But I do think it's worth interrogating the larger political and ideological construct that says that spending a few billions dollars to help foreigners is a thinkable undertaking if and only if the means of providing assistance is to kill some people and blow some stuff up. The explosives-heavy approach to humanitarianism has a lot of unpredictable side effects, sometimes backfires massively, and offers an extremely poor value proposition. So whatever you think about killing some Syrians this summer, please consider throwing a few dollars in the direction of a cost-effective charity of some kind.

The second thing we know for  certainty is that bloodshed will continue for decades after we declare victory for our side. There have been no exceptions to that rule in the Middle East. Sometimes I swear we are deliberately stirring up trouble in what the book of Revelation suggests will be the future site of Armageddon.

As long as we are on the subject of just war, what has been the fate of Christians in these same Middle Eastern countries? They have been persecuted and forced to flee their homes and communities. Many line refugee camps in Syria and Jordan, while their wealthy brethren have fled to the West.

It is not difficult to understand why Jesus said people that pursue peace find favor in the eyes of God. The violent keep the cycle of violence going. Those that live by the sword, die by it sooner or later. Violence, after all, is the antithesis of forgiveness. It is soul-scarring vengeance.

We Christians in America live in a country that has been the biggest arms dealer in the world since World War II. What better way to drum up business than to show off the killing power of our weapons. Perhaps it would be wise for us to take the words of Christ seriously and speak out against violence.

One final question. Where was Saul traveling when he was on blinded on the road and became he became the Apostle named Paul? The Christians being displaced in this conflict trace their faith in Christ to Paul. The side we are helping will make the suffering of our brothers and sisters in Christ living in Syria even greater.

To recap, America and other western countries want to punish the sins of the Syrian government for using chemical weapons by spilling the blood of the Syrian military. The followers of Jesus need to find ways to stop the violence and heal the wounds of those hurt.

Pray for peace in Egypt

The continuing violence in Egypt is a stark reminder of our capacity to harm one another. The chaos in the streets has left more than 400 dead and 3500 injured. Even journalists have been targeted with 3 killed and others wounded. Voices of peace, like Mohammed ElBaradei have been ignored.

“I saw that there were peaceful ways to end this clash in society; there were proposed and acceptable solutions for beginnings that would take us to national consensus," he wrote in a resignation letter. “It has become difficult for me to continue bearing responsibility for decisions that I do not agree with and whose consequences I fear. I cannot bear the responsibility for one drop of blood."

Violence only sews the seeds for more violence. I pray for healing calm in the midst of rage. Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God.

Unfortunately, the United States is generous with aid for weapons, but not for peaceful development. Our foreign policy is morally bankrupt. It has been that way for generations.

Jesus was married?

Karen King, a professor at the Harvard Divinity School, announced the finding of what appears to be a 4th century papyrus fragment. It comes from a previously unknown Coptic gospel. The line that has everyone buzzing is, "Jesus said to them, my wife ..."



As Dr. King explains, the fragment does not prove that Jesus was married. It merely highlights the preoccupation of early Christians with the question of whether Jesus was married or not. As the oral tradition gave way to the written word, a few scattered references in non-canonical texts have raised the possibility.

There are plenty of questions about the authenticity of this fragment. It was in the hands of a private collector and there is no record of its discovery or history. A number of Coptic scholars are skeptical of the script and phrasing. Archeologists have questioned its sudden appearance and possible financial motives of the collector. Academic journals and museums refuse to make public artifacts without an established history and provenance.

Hany Sadak, the director general of the Coptic Museum in Cairo, said the fragment's existence was unknown to Egypt's antiquities authorities until news articles this week.

"I personally think, as a researcher, that the paper is not authentic because it was, if it had been in Egypt before, we would have known of it and we would have heard of it before it left Egypt," he said.

Even if the initial tests of its authenticity are verified, there remains a more important question. Does it really matter to the followers of Christ? Nothing changes if Jesus was married or not. Jesus told his followers to take their marital vows seriously and remain faithful to their spouse in thought as well as deed. That is the ultimate take-home message. He also said the bonds of marriage will have no meaning in the Kingdom of Heaven.

According to researchers at Harvard Divinity School, here is the significance of this tiny scrap of papyrus:

If authentic, this tiny, damaged fragment provides tantalizing glimpses into issues about family, discipleship, and marriage that concerned ancient Christians. The main topic of the dialogue between Jesus and his disciples is one that deeply concerned early Christians, who were asked to put loyalty to Jesus before their natal families, as the New Testament gospels show. Christians were talking about themselves as a family, with God the Father, his son Jesus, and members as brothers and sisters. Twice in the tiny fragment, Jesus speaks of his mother, and once of his wife—one of whom is identified as "Mary." The disciples discuss whether Mary is worthy, and Jesus states that "she can be my disciple." Although this is less clear, it may be that by portraying Jesus as married, the Gospel of Jesus's Wife conveys a positive theological message about marriage and sexuality, perhaps similar to the Gospel of Philip’s view that pure marriage can be an image of divine unity and creativity.

This gospel fragment provides a reason to reconsider what we thought we knew by asking what role claims about Jesus's marital status played historically in early Christian controversies over marriage, celibacy, and family. The Gospel of Jesus's Wife makes it possible to say with certainty that some early Christians believed that Jesus was married. This conclusion potentially has significant implications for the history of ancient Christian attitudes toward marriage, sexuality, and reproduction.

The crux of the matter is not marriage, but sexuality. Christians that think sexual acts are evil or unclean want to see Christ as celibate. Some even claim to be more Christ-like because they are celibate. Of course, not all who claim to abstain from sex are celibate or Christ-like.

We live in world of 7 billion people and suffering is everywhere you turn. The message of Christ is simple. We are to go out into that world and serve as beacons of God's love. In that context, it does not matter whether Jesus was married or not. Moreover. sexual ethics are simple in the context of marriage. What is much more complicated and difficult is to repair a world filled with violence, greed, despair, and need. That is what we are called to do as followers of Christ.

If Jesus was married, then I have faith that he treated his spouse with the utmost respect and love. If he was not married, then I have no doubt that he encouraged his followers to love their spouse and be thankful for the companionship. Those preoccupied with the celibacy of Christ have lost sight of the forest for the trees.

The harvest is plentiful

As followers of Christ, caring for others is essential to our spiritual growth and maturity. It is what takes us from the intellectual vagaries of belief to the robust practice of faith. We need only open our eyes and heart to find many in need of God's love through us. 

One outreach for our congregation is in a local senior housing complex. While our initial interest was in maintaining contact with members that had become frail, it has quickly become a vineyard full of opportunities for loving engagement. 

The only formal element in our efforts is to hold services every Thursday evening. Between 20-30 people show up to sing, pray, and share the Eucharist together. I am amazed at the joy on display despite the fact that many in attendance are frail. The spirit is more than willing even though the flesh is weak. And God's presence is felt despite the absence of all the trappings of church. The only physical symbol in the room is a brass cross that we bring to create a simple alter. 

From there we have branched out to bringing communion to residents too frail to come down to services. Staff members are happy to identify new faces and help us keep track of familiar ones. 

Beyond communion, there are other simple opportunities for touch hearts in this community. Birthday and holiday wishes are always welcome, particularly for those without family in the area. Homemade sweets bring large smiles (although check with staff for dietary restrictions). The lonely are not difficult to find.

We have also hosted films, choir performances, and dinners. The one problem with these events is that they attract too much interest rather than too little. 

The only real cost in all of these efforts is time. As Christ told the disciples in Matthew 9:37, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few." It is worth every minute and the Lord of the harvest will be pleased.

A parable about the contagion of hatred (updated)

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God." (Matthew 5:9)

A common criticism of religion is that is provokes oppression, division, and violence. The truth is humans can always find reasons to hate one another. Religion is just one of many excuses used by people spoiling for a fight.

Case in point is the movie called, "Innocence of Muslims." This sloppy attempt at satire was created to insult and inflame.

Just to add to its explosive potential, the film was supposedly created by an Israeli-American named Sam Bacile, backed by 100 Jewish donors. None of that backstory appears to be true (see here, here and here).

As soon as the trailer for the movie was posted online, an Egyptian-American Coptic Christian publicized the movie and threw more fuel on the fire, aided by Koran-burning preacher and publicity hound, Terry Jones. These two clowns promoted screenings of the movie as a way to call attention to controversial elements in the life of the prophet Muhammad.

It was the perfect fodder for an Islamic fundamentalist in Egypt known for inflammatory rhetoric about the Coptic Christian community.

Egyptian religious al-Nas TV's Sheikh Khalid Abdallah, the controversial presenter of the Masr al-Jadida talk show, dedicated his 8 September programme to "The Copts of the diaspora and humiliating the Prophet"

Before long, politicians and the media in Egypt were condemning the movie and also blaming the Coptic Christian community.

A Cairo newspaper reported that the leader of an Egyptian political party had “denounced the production of the film with the participation of vengeful Copts, accompanied by the extremist priest Terry Jones.”

Of course, violence soon erupted. First in Egypt.

Angered by reports in the Egyptian media that members of the Coptic Christian diaspora in Washington had produced a crude film mocking the Muslim prophet, protesters climbed the walls of the United States Embassy in Cairo on Tuesday and tore down the American flag.

And then in Libya.

The US ambassador to Libya is among four Americans killed in an attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, President Barack Obama has confirmed.

Unidentified armed men stormed the grounds overnight amid uproar among Muslims over a film produced in the US said to insult the Prophet Muhammad.

They shot at buildings and threw handmade bombs into the compound.

And then across other predominantly Muslim countries.

Tunisian police fired tear gas and rubber bullets into the air to disperse a protest by several hundred people near the US embassy in the Tunisian capital, Tunis, as they chanted slogans including "Obama, Obama, we are here for the triumph of Islam", Reuters reports.

Demonstrations were reported outside the US embassy in the Sudanese capital Khartoum and the US consulate in Casablanca, Morocco, as well as outside the UN offices in the Gaza Strip.

The Afghan government ordered a block on Youtube until the offending film was removed but the site was still visible to internet users in Kabul.

It is amazing what trouble a few hateful people can stir up. It was all about provocation and exploitation of outrage. None of it really had anything to do with God or religion. Hateful acts done in the name of religion is nothing more than blasphemy.

Do you have any doubt why Jesus said we are to love our enemies, bless those that curse us, and pray for those that persecute us? The reason seems crystal clear.

Update: The identity of the man behind the film has been revealed. He is a Coptic Christian of Egyptian descent that falsely claimed to be an Israeli and having been backed by Jews. The actors in the film were mislead about the nature of the project and the voices were dubbed in Arabic.

UPDATE: Sept. 13, 11:34 a.m. -- The Associated Press has identified Californian Nakoula Basseley Nakoula as the man behind the anti-Muslim film that's been the target of protests across the Middle East. The AP says its source for the information is an official in U.S. law enforcement who "spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation."

In earlier interviews, Nakoula said he was the manager of the company that made the film but did not say he was the actual filmmaker. He identified himself as a Coptic Christian and said that the film's director supported concerns about the treatment of the Copts by Muslims.

He also denied posing as Sam Bacile, the mysterious man whom initial reports on Tuesday quoted and identified as an Israeli Jewish filmmaker, but AP reports that telephone numbers for Bacile and Nakoula trace to the same address. Questions remain as to why Bacile, who was interviewed by the AP and the Wall Street Journal, said he was an Israeli Jew.

This means that person who created the film and the two men that helped publicize it are all Christians. Not only were they trying to inflame Muslims with the film's content, they tried to blame the film's creation on Jews. I am sure the Lord will be impressed by their efforts to stir the pot of hatred.

When terrorists struck

September 11 has become something of an emblematic anniversary for America in the 21st century. When we are harmed by our enemies, our first instinct was revenge. Christ calls us to forgive and repair this broken world with love.

While some like to call us a Christian nation, one would be hard pressed to find Christ in our foreign policies. Consider our response to the September 11 terrorist attack. Our nation went on a spending spree for war and vengeance. In a report prepared by Amy Belasco for the Congressional Research Service, here is what we spent on wars in the decade after 9/11:

Congress has approved a total of $1.283 trillion for military operations, base security, reconstruction, foreign aid, embassy costs, and veterans’ health care for the three operations initiated since the 9/11 attacks: Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) Afghanistan and other counter terror operations; Operation Noble Eagle (ONE), providing enhanced security at military bases; and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF).

So we spent over $1.25 trillion on three military operations between 2001 and 2011, which including the invasion and occupation of a country (Iraq) that had nothing to do with the September 11 attack. Here is where the money went:

Of this $1.283 trillion total, CRS estimates that Iraq will receive about $806 billion (63%), OEF $444 billion (35%) and enhanced base security about $29 billion (2%), with about $5 billion that CRS cannot allocate (1/2%). About 94% of the funds are for DOD, 5% for foreign aid programs and diplomatic operations, and 1% for medical care for veterans.

Bear in mind, this $1.28 trillion is on top of over $6 trillion in spending on the military. Our little wars are just the icing on our cake of aggression. Fantastic. An article in Interactions magazine estimated that we could have rebuilt every school in America for what we spent on those wars. It is a question of priorities. We invested in violence and revenge.

Remember what Jesus taught as part of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:9)?

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

For those leaders that pursue war, what shall they be called? Something other than the children of God perhaps?

Or perhaps we should meditate on the vision in Isaiah 2:3-5?

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord.

Yes, come let us walk in the light of the Lord instead of the darkness of hatred and vengeance.

I still grieve for all those innocent lives lost 11 years ago. I also grieve for a nation that wasted $1.28 trillion on wars that accomplished nothing. We did not make the world a safer place. We did not bring peace to Afghanistan, Iraq, and countless other hotspots where we still rain missiles down on from drones in the sky. We did not lift up the downtrodden nor end the reign of violence.

The Apostle Paul put it this way in Romans 12:17 and 1 Thessalonians 5:15: do not repay evil with evil. It is not complicated. It is difficult to put aside our lust for vengeance, but the principle is simple and good.

We, as a nation, rendered evil for evil. Lord, forgive us.

Enough of this, please

A man in Texas decided to use scripture to make a political statement. He put up a billboard with the following message: "Pray for Obama: Psalms 109:8." The scripture in question is drawn from a psalm in which David prays for the death and destruction of people that have slandered, exploited, and financially ruined him. The verse sounds somewhat more benign in isolation, "May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership."

The man claims he did not intend to call for the the utter destruction of enemies and their offspring.

Milton Neitsch Jr., who has lived in Victoria since 1961, says he didn't intend for people to pick up on the hateful wishes of death and pain surrounding the tiny verse.

This man seems to have little regard for the word of God. He cites a verse and says he did not mean for people to interpret it in context. If that is true, he is using scripture carelessly and deceptively. Or perhaps he did want people to pray for the demise of the president, but was shocked when people were offended by it. Either way, it does not bring honor to God nor honor Christ's instructions to pray in love for even those that persecute you (Matthew 5:43-48).

A local pastor started a petition to have Neitsch remove the billboard. In the process, she showed how Christ intended for us to resolve differences.

Reverend Amy Danchik started a petition demanding Neitsch take down the sign. They've since met and Neitsch and agreed to replace the billboard.

"He shared with me a little about some of the threats that have come at his family, which is incredibly inappropriate, and in no way helpful and in no way how we're called to react when we disagree with somebody," said Danchik. "So I hope that those stop. I hope that people will react with the graciousness that he has reacted with and leave his family alone."

Notice the outcome of this man's use of scripture. People were so angered that they were, in effect, praying Psalm 109 for this man and his family. One hateful action, whether intended or not, provoke more hateful acts. This is why Christ taught forgiveness instead of retribution, love instead of hatred, and reconciliation instead of conflict.

Imprecatory prayers satisfy the idea that revenge for unjust treatment at the hands of another is left to God. In Psalm 109, David is not asking for the strength, courage, opportunity, and skill to massacre those that have wronged him, but rather calling for God to avenge him. It is an impulse we have all probably felt at one point or another in our lives. Sometimes we are treated unfairly and unjustly. You can either follow the example of David in praying for retribution or of Jesus in praying for forgiveness. Jesus even prayed for forgiveness for those that falsely accused him of wrongdoing, tortured and murdered him.

All too often, imprecatory prayers come from mouths of religious leaders rather than private citizens. Make no mistake, it is a failure to serve Christ if done in His name.

And just in case you have any doubt that public imprecatory prayers are destructive, consider this. The Department of Defense commissioned a study of the rhetoric used by political and religious leaders to predict violence.

"When leaders express a combination of anger, contempt and disgust in their speeches, it seems to be instrumental in inciting a group to act violently," said David Matsumoto, professor of psychology at San Francisco State University.

Even a casual reading of Psalm 109 reveals a wealth of anger, contempt, and disgust. The only thing missing is that David did not name his enemies. Apart from that, the content does not differ appreciably from the speeches of religious terrorist leaders like Osama bin Laden. As Christians, we are called to emulate Jesus rather than David.

When righteous indignation become imprecatory prayers with a person or group labeled as evil, spilled blood is often the outcome (emphasis added).

Anger, contempt and disgust may be particularly important drivers of violent behavior because they are often expressed in response to moral violations, says Matsumoto, and when an individual feels these emotions about a person or group, they often feel that their opponent is unchangeable and inherently bad. 

When Christian leaders engage in imprecatory prayers, they violate the teachings of Christ. Look closely at their statements and motivations. Do they want more power? Are they promoting a political ideation or demanding control over culture and behavioral norms? They are serving themselves, not God. Ignore them and follow Christ.

One word you will not hear in Tampa

There is a political convention going on in Tampa. One word that you will never hear during the flag-waving, chest-thumping orgy of machismo, money, and "morality" is poverty. The folks in Tampa do not believe poverty really exists and, if it does, is the fault of person who finds themselves with few resources in our capitalist paradise.

The crowd in Tampa can be forgiven for their beliefs about poverty. After all, their political, business, and religious leaders have spread that message far and wide. If you do not think that the poor are poor by choice or consequence of their own actions, then you have not been properly indoctrinated. You have also been told that the few "legitimate" poor people can be cared for by the church and charity. And if you are affluent, then your exposure to the real world of poverty is nonexistent unless you seek it out. Unless you leave the walls of your gated community or enclave of beautiful people, the poor will exist only in the occasional panhandler encountered on your travels for business or pleasure. Tampa has one of the largest homeless populations in America but the convention attendees will never look for them or see them.

Now that poverty has become a dirty word that sparks revulsion and anger among a major segment of the political spectrum, life for the poor is about to get harder even as more and more people join their ranks daily. The meanest streets in America are about to get even more brutal.

The poor are numerous, their suffering is real, and the resources to help them are scarce and drying up. If you want to help, then there are a few simple things you can do. First, educate yourself. The facts are out there. You will discover how many people in America are living in extreme or deep poverty, including those that satisfy the international definition of extreme poverty - living on less than $2 per day. Get engaged in programs that assist the poor. See, hear, smell, taste, and touch their lives. 

The real faces of poverty cover a broad spectrum. There are people that grew up in terrible schools, navigated the temptations and pitfalls of street gangs, and lack the means to migrate to hopefully greener pastures. There are the mentally ill that quickly find themselves living on the street. There are blue and white collar workers that lost their job and cannot find anything that pays them nearly as much as they once did. There are older people that have little in the way of life savings. There are the disabled from birth defects, trauma, or disease. They are all people life kicked in the teeth.

Part of your education should be to take the Food Stamp Challenge. Get the tool kit. Keep track of the time you spend trying to find cheap food, the nutrition quality of what you eat, and how you feel. Wimps do it for a week. Try it for a month to get the full effect to food pressures day in and day out. If you shop at a big box club store, be sure to take the pro-rated cost of membership off the top of your budget. 

Last but not least, think about how to define poverty. The folks meeting in Tampa define poverty as not having stuff. Carefully massaged numbers from all the right think tanks suggest that many people who have little money still have some nice stuff like a television, cell phone, and car. To be poor in their eyes, you have to be completely destitute with nothing to your name. 

It is more about a lack of resilience than stuff. This discussion gets to the heart of the matter:

but then he turned it on it’s head – he looked at each of us in the room and said to us, what happened if after this meeting [bit of a parry-phrase happening here, don't quota me by this] you got a couple of phone calls, telling you you had lost your job and there had been a fire at home which had burnt down the whole place including all your stuff and the bank called telling you that someone had gotten into your account and cleared out all your money and there is nothing you can do about it… and so within fifteen minutes of this meeting you had lost all your stuff..?

how long would it be before you had your next meal?

how long would it be before you found a place for you and your family to sleep for the night, or the next few weeks or months of nights?

how long before you found yourself a new job, whether back as a powerful executive in a company or serving coffee at the local Starbucks?

and the answer to each of those questions, and possibly some others, was not long at all…

so possibly the definition of POVERTY is not so much the LACK OF STUFF as it is the LACK OF FRIENDSHIP OR TOGETHERNESS

because that is how you would get your next meal, a place to stay, and your next job – through the people and network resources and connectivity you have…

To be resilient means to have the resources to get back on your feet. If you fall on hard times but have a social network of family, friends, and neighbors to help, then you will be in a much better position to find a new job, place to live, and the resources to stay afloat. If you are poor and everybody you know is also poor, then getting out of poverty is virtually impossible.

Natural disasters expose the vulnerability of a community. Hurricane Katrina hit those with the least the hardest because they could not get out of the city, take care of themselves on the road, or rebuild.  Ditto for economic disasters.

A poverty of resilience means no personal or social bootstraps to pull yourself up with.

The Tampa crowd have brainwashed themselves into thinking they do not need any help from other people and never will. Perhaps their personal resources are sufficient that they do not have to imagine having to rely on the kindness of others. It is not hard to be resilient when have much more than you need.

So poverty is about your physical and social environment. It is also about your psychological environment. Poverty is about few joys. Not having food or drink you enjoy to lift your spirits or share with friends. Not feeling safe in your home, neighborhood, and city. Not having the simple pleasures that we all take for granted. No variety of any kind. It is about an abundance of fear, anger, despair, and revulsion. You can find temporary relief from the psychological pain in drugs or alcohol, but those escapes will only increase your pain over time.

Poverty also means having no power and few advocates. We have politicians that are deliberately taking away the rights of the poor to vote. And since the political machine requires money to produce legislation, poverty means no influence. Too many of politicians even want to increase the vulnerability of the poor to predators, such as criminals, debt collectors, and abusive legal systems.

And poverty is spiritual. It is tough to feel God's love when too many, even religious people, are calling you worthless and a drain on society.

Poverty is common, becoming more common, and sucks. Jesus said the measure of your soul is whether you lift the cross of those in need. That sounds about right to me.

Forgive as Jesus taught

One of the requirements for following Christ is to forgive others for hurting us in some way. He took away our right for revenge. It is a revolutionary concept because it runs directly counter to our instincts. It is the only way to short-circuit a cycle of violence and hatred. Forgiveness is at the core of love perfected.

Consider what the Lord taught in Matthew 5:38-48:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Imagine for a moment a world where people actually lived this way. Forgive all, love all, and hate no one. You do not have to have much of an imagination to realize that it would be far superior to the one we live in.

Now consider what happens when someone actually dares to follow what Christ taught about forgiveness. From the Denver Post:

One of the victims in the Aurora theater shooting said Wednesday he's already forgiven the suspect in the rampage, James Eagan Holmes, and hopes to speak with him someday.

"Of course, I forgive him with all my heart. When I saw him in his hearing, I felt nothing but sorrow for him — he's just a lost soul right now," said Pierce O'Farrill. "I want to see him sometime. The first thing I want to say to him is 'I forgive you,' and the next is, 'Can I pray for you?'"

So here we have the story of a man harmed by another, but responds with forgiveness, mercy, and compassion. Even before his wounds were treated, his loving presence was a blessing to others, including other victims.

In the aftermath of the shooting in which 12 people were killed and 58 wounded, Pourciau and O'Farrill found themselves on adjoining stretchers waiting for treatment. Because their injuries were deemed non-life-threatening, the two spent much of the time in a corner speaking about what had transpired. At some point, O'Farrill asked for a Bible and started reading. Soon, Pourciau asked if he would read some scriptures aloud to her.

Two people with every right to be afraid and angry were soon giving thanks, reading scripture, singing hymns, and forging a bond. They were healing psychologically even before their bodies had started to heal.

Any mental health professional will tell you that victims of violence often exhibit signs of post-traumatic stress disorder, complete with anxiety, depression, nightmares, sleeplessness, intrusive thoughts, and even uncontrolled rage. Violence leaves a person filled with an unquenchable fear of another attack and an equally unquenchable desire for revenge. Only those with the ability to forgive can heal psychologically.

The story was also covered by the Christian Post. Pierce O'Farrill attends Edge Church and quickly became an inspiration to pastor Ryan Heller and the congregation.

"Some of the other survivors have said that they can't or won't forgive [the shooter]. Reporters are contrasting him against other survivors, so it is important to understand what Jesus says about forgiving," Heller said according to the Baptist Standard.

Heller also encouraged forgiveness to his congregation, the Sunday after the shooting occurred.

"Pierce has already forgiven him. I think that is exactly what we need to talk about this morning is forgiveness," Heller said Sunday to his congregation. "God wants us to live lives of continual forgiveness. Forgiving brings strength and vitality."

While some Christian leaders attempted to exploit the emotional distress generated by the tragedy to cast blame and sew dissension, many others responded with love and prayers for healing. O'Farrill demonstrated the healing power of forgiveness as Jesus taught. It provides an effective witness for God's love.

The sad thing is that the story in the Christian Post was shared by very few on social media and attracted only three comments. You would think that a story that modeled the teachings of Christ would go viral instead of being largely ignored. Contrast that with stories having a culture war theme.

The other interesting reaction can be found in the comments from people calling themselves atheists to the Associated Press story of Pierce O'Farrill. Hypocrisy by Christians is often used as proof that religion does more harm than good. Yet, here we have an instance of a Christian living as Jesus taught. Instead of acknowledging the courage of O'Farrill, they could not inhibit contempt for religion. Here is one example from the Denver Post.

I don't believe in God because there is not one shred of evidence that one exists. The very fact that there is so much carnage and suffering in the world is proof to me a god doesn't exist. Ig you want to believe in your christain god go right ahead, just stop telling me how to live my life. What kind of sick and demented god would allow such carnage? I chose to live in the present and not by what a bunch of arrogant misogynists had to say 2000 years ago. I have already saved myself from the nonsense of organized religion. As long as we have religious zealots running around telling everyone how to live, the world will never know peace.

If we follow Jesus, we must leave revenge and judgment to the Lord and love others as He commanded. It is not complicated, but it is difficult.